Dog Walker
by water mixed flame
Summary: AU. The Takamachi family gain a new family member, and thanks to this member, Nanoha meets and befriends a beautiful ruby eyed blonde.
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Dog Walker**

**Chapter 1**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Nanoha sighed, rested her chin in her palm, and mixed her potatoes with her peas as she listened to her father and brother beg her mother to let them have a dog. Miyuki, who sat beside her, saw her exasperated expression and giggled. She leaned close to her and whispered, "You'd think that they'd give up by now."

Nanoha nodded, her lips pulled up in a slight smile, "I know, right? This must be the hundreth time they've asked Mom if they could have one. You'd think that they would know by now that she isn't an easy woman to crack, especially her stance on the whole dog issue."

"Yeah, but they are making solid points this time," Miyuki mused, watching as her Kyoya and Shiro talk animatedly to head woman of the household, who simply ignored them as she ate, "It's kind of funny to watch them."

"Kind of," Nanoha ate a piece of her steak then said, "Hopefully they don't drag us into this."

"If they do, what side would you be on?" Miyuki asked, an amused smile playing on her lips.

Nanoha shot a glance at her stoic mother who would say 'No' every so often and shivered, "The side with the least casualties of couse," she whispered, causing Miyuki to laugh softly and nod in agreement.

"I hear that," the dark haired girl whispered, pushing up her glasses, "but I think I'll try to support them instead of being neutral this time around. They've been wanting a dog since forever, and I think it'd be nice to have one too."

"Well, good luck with that," Nanoha whispered then shot her sister a warning look, "just don't drag me into this. I want to live to see the light of day tomorrow."

Miyuki smiled just a bit too inoccently as she folded her hands in her lap and sing songed, "Sure thing~!"

Nanoha shivered and frowned at her sister, "Traitor."

Miyuki chuckled, "I'm not one yet."

"Ugh," Nanoha dropped her head in defeat and turned her attention back to messing with her food, not really listening to her family's conversation.

"But Momoko Darling," Shiro said with a smile, "a dog is exactly what this family needs!"

Momoko sighed, wiping her mouth with a towel before placing it neatly on the table. She looked at her husband with a frown then to her son who said, "Dad's right, Mom. This family could really benefit from having one."

Leaning back, oldest of the Takamachi women sighed and looked the both of them in the eyes as she asked, "And how could we benefit from owning a dog?"

Shiro grinned widely, his dark blue eyes gleaming as he nodded and said, "Well, a dog is fun, can help calm you, and has natural mental healing factors."

Kyouya nodded and followed up with, "And a dog can guard our house while we're away. And sleeping or not, he can alert us of any intruders or if something's wrong."

"Depending on the dog," Miyuki joined the conversation, drawing her mother's attention and a discreet thumbs up from her father, "it won't be too hard to train. We all can take turns taking care of it and we can train it together, sort of like a family bonding thing."

"That's right!" Kyoya said with a grin, "It'll even teach Nanoha how to be more responsible!"

"Hey!" the auburn haired girl snapped, slapped her hand on the table, and frowned at her brother, "I'm responsible and you know it!"

"We know, Honey," Momoko smiled in amusement at her worked up daughter who puffed her cheeks out in a pout, huffed, and turned away to to slouch in her chair with crossed arms. Momoko raised her hand to stop Kyouya from teasing his sister more.

"Also, Nanoha's friend, Hayate knows someone who is inexpensive and can watch over our dog when we aren't able to," Miyuki smiled, and once again her father, and also her brother, gave her a wink and a thumbs up.

"You two can stop that now," Momoko said, watching both her husband and son flinch and smile at her while rubbing the backs of their heads in embarassment, "Anyway, is this true, Nanoha?"

Nanoha glanced at her mother and nodded, "Yeah, Hayate and her family really likes them, and now that I think about it, Arisa's family uses the same person and really likes them too."

"Hmm. If all of you promise to take care of it and take responsibility for it, then I guess it's about time that I let you all get one," Kyouya and Shiro cheered, and Miyuki smiled, "However, any damage done to the house will come out of your pay," Momoko turned to her youngest daughter and said, "Nanoha, please get that information from Hayate soon, alright?"

"Yes Mom," Nanoha said.

"Alright!" Shiro crowed, pumping his fist in the air like a kid, "You'll see, this dog will bring the family closer together!"

"But what kind of dog do you want to get?" Miyuki asked and leaned her elbows on the table.

"Definitely not a chihuahua," Kyouya said, with their dad nodding in agreement.

"Yes, and no poodles either," Shiro said, raising a finger, "It has to be a lab or something like that."

Nanoha sighed and tuned her family out as they started an argument over what kind of dog they were going to get.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Nanoha strolled down the street to the designated meeting spot her friends made. She looked down at the list in her hands and wondered for the thousandth time how she of all people was chosen to go pick up the supplies for their new dog. She understood that she was the one who was going to be out while the rest of her family worked at the cafe, but that didn't mean that she wanted to spend the day with her friends buying and carrying a bunch of dog supplies with her all day.

Shaking her head, she continued down the street when she heard a chorus of dogs' barking. Stopping, the auburn haired teen looked across the street, her crystal blue eyes widening at the sight of a herd of dogs on leashes dragging a girl with long blonde hair tied in low ponytail. She watched as the girl stumbled after them towards a light post, and flinched when the dogs seperated into two groups to go around the post with the blonde unable to stop as she barrelled into it with a squeak and a clang. Nanoha couldn't take her eyes off the blonde as she fell backwards, the dogs stopping when they heard the noise. She worried for the girl's safety as she just layed there, the dogs suddenly running towards and surrounding the girl, some getting on top of her while others nudged her with their noses or licked at her face, all whining.

Nanoha was about to jog over there when she saw the blonde slowly sit up with a groan, never once letting go of any of the leashes as she rubbed her head, muttering something under her breath. The dogs barked happily with wagging tails as they tackled the girl to the ground again, all trying to get a chance to lick her face. Nanoha sighed in relief and giggled at the blonde as she struggled to push the dogs off of her so she could get up. The auburn haired teen started to jog over to help the blonde when a voice stopped her.

"Nanoha!"

Nanoha turned around to see Hayate, her short brunette haired friend with glowing blue eyes walking up to her with a bright grin and wave.

"Hey, Hayate!" Nanoha shouted the greeting at her friend, then glanced across the street to see the blonde haired girl already up and jogging away with the pack of dogs like nothing happened.

_'I wonder who that was. I hope she'll be alright,'_ she thought with a worried frown and furrowed brow.

"Yo, Earth to Nanoha!" Hayate waved a hand in front of her face, "This is Comander Hayate of Riot Force 6 wondering if you're still on this planet!"

Nanoha jumped and squeaked in surprise, wondering how her laughing friend appeared in front of her so fast. Surely she didn't space out that long, right? Nanoha blinked with a small frown, "How long was I spaced out this time?"

"Not long, just a couple of minutes, Space Cadet," Hayate teased.

Nanoha crossed her her arms over her chest and puffed out her cheeks, "You know I don't like it when you call me that."

Hayate shrugged, and the two began to walk together to their destination, "Sorry, but I can't help it. The name really suits you."

Nanoha rolled her eyes and slapped her friend on the shoulder, "It's still not very nice."

Hayate pouted and sniffled, holding her shoulder, "Like your abusive ways are nice?"

Nanoha blushed, "I am not abusive!"

"My bruised shoulder says otherwise," the short brunette sing songed, "and there was that time that you-"

"That was only one time!" Nanoha shouted in defense.

Hayate's eyebrow rose, her eyes twinkling in amusement, "What about that _other _time when-"

Nanoha clamped a hand over her friends mouth, "I thought you promised not to bring that up again! I mean, we were nine years old!"

Hayate shook, her muffled laughter sounding from under Nanoha's hand, "Mou, stop laughing at me!" the auburn haired teen whined.

"Sorry," Hayate wiped under her eyes, her laughter stopping when Nanoha removed her hand, "It's just so much fun to pick on you."

"Whatever," Nanoha crossed her arms and puffed out her cheeks again, "Anyway, what's the name and number of that person you let take care of Zafira?"

The two started walking side by side to the designated meeting spot, and Hayate looked at her with a grin, "Your mom finally cracked under Kyouya and Shiro's pleading?"

"Something like that. Honestly, I think it's because she overheard some of the elaborate plan my dad and brother were cooking up."

Hayate grinned slyly, "Would that plan happen to include begging her in front of all of the customers at the cafe during rush hour?"

Nanoha's gaze went from shock to deadpan in an instant, "So you're the one they got that idea from," she drawled with a shake of her head, "I should have known."

Hayate smirked and flashed her friend a thumbs up, "You know it! Just be glad I didn't give them any other ideas."

Nanoha sighed and said in retaliation, "Just be glad they didn't do anything and my mom didn't trail it back to you."

"For the wrath of Momoko Takamachi would surely have come down on my head!" Hayate exclaimed dramatically, clutching at her chest.

Nanoha nodded, "Seriously. I don't know if you realize this, but my mom is terrifying when angered."

Hayate nodded with a hum, "Oh I know, you've told me many stories," and glanced at her wrist-watch, squeaking in surprise, "Well, we better run before our dear friend Arisa blows a gasket, a fuse, or quite frankly, has a cow!"

Nanoha blinked at her friend, opening her mouth then snapping shut with a shake of her head. Hayate grabbed her wrist, and ran, dragging the taller brunette, shouting, "Well don't just stand there gaping like a fish! I for one don't want to face the 'Wrath of Arisa' on such a beautiful morning!"

Of course, as their luck had it, a very wrathful blonde awaited them with their peaceful purple haired friend standing to the side and watching in amusement as the two brunettes dropped straight to their knees, begging for forgiveness.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Nanoha sighed her arms loaded down with a few of the dog-supplies her mother wanted her to get and the goodies she bought with her friends at the mall. She glanced around her to see her friends carrying a bag or two, feeling a mixture of happiness and guilt that her friends were helping her carry her things.

"I'm sorry for dragging you guys into this. I never thought that she'd want me to get all of this stuff before we got the dog."

_'I should have taken a better look at the list she gave me,'_ she thought with a sigh.

Arisa huffed while Suzuka smiled gently, waving off the apology saying, "It's no problem Nanoha. I'm glad that we are here to help, I couldn't imagine how you would carry all of this home by yourself anyway," she giggled.

"Yeah, but-"

"No buts," Arisa interupted with a light glare, "You should know that we're here to help you whenever you need it, so stop whining!"

Nanoha opened her mouth, but shut it with a click and a sigh when Arisa's glare hardened.

"Face it, Nanoha~!" Hayate bounded up to her and slung an arm around her shoulders, causing the two to stumble, "We're never going to leave ya alone, so you're just going to have to accept that fact and move on," she grinned before leaning over and mock whispering, "or the wrath of Arisa will come down upon you so fast that you wouldn't have time to blink before it hits ya."

Nanoha shivered and tightened her grip on her bags, in rememberence of the last time Arisa's anger was aimed at her... which was just this morning. Let's just say the blonde could really pack a punch. Leaning closer to Hayate she whispered, "Do you really think this would invoke 'Arisa's Wrath'?"

Hayate just gave Nanoha a look before laughing, "This is Arisa we're talking about. Remember," she raised a finger and Nanoha leaned, listening attentively as both became lost in their conversation and oblivious to a figure that quickly came to tower behind them, "she has a short temper, and when angered she can pack quite a wallop that can-"

_Whack! Whack!_

Both Nanoha and Hayate yelped in pain, stopping to grab their heads with a wince before turning in sync to see and cower under a scowling Arisa whose eyebrow ticked in annoyance, a dark aura surrounding her.

For a second time that day Hayate and Nanoha dropped to their knees, heads meeting the sidewalk as they begged for forgiveness, "We're so sorry!" they shouted, easily gaining a few weird and wary looks from other people.

Arisa flushed, fidgeting in embrassment. "J-Just come on!" she sputtered before stomping past them to continue her way to the Takamachi's home. Suzuka followed the flustered blonde at her heels, laughing lightly at her friends' antics while the two brunettes scrambled to their feet to follow them...at a safe distance of course.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Nanoha sighed in content as she plopped on the sofa in the family living room. It wasn't too long ago that her friends left after helping her set everything down. Glancing up at the wall, Nanoha looked at the small clock that hung there, wondering where the rest of her family could be since the cafe closed over an hour ago.

_'Hm, did they have a last minute rush?'_ she wondered, but some noises at the door caught her attention, '_Maybe that's them,'_ she turned her head towards the small front hallway.

The voices grew louder, and soon after, she heard the door opened with a click. Voices instantly flooded the home with their light arguing and banter, causing Nanoha to smile until she heard..._'Is that whining?'_

Nanoha frowned in contemplation, straining to hear the light whining mixed in the other noises, _'Could it be?'_

"Do you think Nanoha managed to get all the supplies on the list?" she heard her father ask.

"Of course she did," Momoko said, as she walked into view, and turned to see Nanoha lounging on the sofa, "Oh, hey Nanoha, I'm glad your home," she smiled brightly.

Shiro's head popped up from the small hallway with a happy-go-lucky grin and waved, "Hey there sweety! We have a surprise!"

"Ouch!"

Nanoha looked at them curiously, an eyebrow raised at her sister's shout.

"I'm not your chew toy!" she heard Miyuki scold before walking towards the bathroom with a frown.

"Don't leave me alone with him!" she heard Kyouya shout, a thump sounding from the hall a second later, "Dad, help me!"

Nanoha heard light scratching against what had to be the floor and turned to see a small, excited dog pulling against a red leash. She blinked and stared at the short dog. It had fine, short brown hair and large dark eyes that were lit with eagerness. Its long tail wagged fast in excitement as it pulled against its leash, trying to explore its new home.

Getting up from the sofa, Nanoha made her way to stand by her mother, "So," she started as the small dog yipped when it laid large chocolate eyes on her, "this is the new addition to our family?"

Momoko nodded with a smile, "Yes it is."

"Is it a boy or a girl? And what did you name it?" Nanoha watched as her father took the leash from Kyouya and guided the dog to their backyard while Kyouya stepped back outside.

"It's a boy and we decided to name it Hato since your father said that he was going to be the 'heart' of our family."

Nanoha nodded slowly eyebrow raised, "O.k..."

Momoko laughed, "I know, but you know how your father is. Besides it was either that or Leroy," Nanoha gave her mother a look and Momoko shrugged saying simply, "Ask your brother. Now go back into the living room, I'm going to get Kyouya and Miyuki so we can discuss responsibilities."

Nanoha nodded as her mother did just that, casting a glance through the glass double doors at the excited Hato jumping at her father before going back into the living room to wait patiently.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Nanoha closed the door to her room and leaned back against it with a sigh, tired from a long lecture. Her mother made sure to go through all of the responsibilities that were expected from each of them when it came to their new family member as well as the consequences that came from neglecting said responsibilities. She shivered at the thought and grumbled, "Why couldn't we get a fish? Fish are simple and easy," then pondered, "I wonder how Hayate and them split the responsibilities..."

Sighing, the brunette stuffed her hands into her pockets, startling slightly when her hand brushed against something.

"Oh,"Nanoha suddenly perked up in rememberance at feeling the small object, and fished out the small card Hayate gave her from her pocket, "I forgot to give this to mom," she looked at it and hummed.

"Fate T. Harlaown," she murmured to herself, "I wonder what she's like."

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Chapter 1 End**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**A.N.: Well I hope that you all enjoyed this, and I'm very sorry but with school coming up and a little writer's block it'll take a while for the next chapter to come out. Please forgive me for the future long wait, but I'll try to get the next chapter out as soon as I can. Peace out and have an awesome day! Laters.**

**Also, I'm very sorry for any mistakes in the story.**


	2. Chapter 2

**A/N: Very sorry about the really late update! Originally, it was going to be a very very long chapter, but I decided to split it since I was having issues with some of the later parts. Besides that, life has been busy, so there isn't much time to work on this stuff. Sorry again, and I hope you enjoy!**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Dog Walker**

**Chapter 2**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Fate dahsed out of the steaming bathroom wrapped in a towel. In her rush, the blonde slipped, tripped over her feet, and fell onto the floor with a squeak. Arf stuck her head outside of Fate's room, diaganal from the bathroom, and and gave a barking laugh at seeing the blonde rub her sore bottom with a whimper.

Turning her head at the sound, Fater glared at the red dog with a pout, "Stop laughing at me Arf, it's not funny!"

Arf quieted, trotted to the blonde, and started licking her face.

"Hey! Arf!" the blonde whined, pushing her dog away, "Stop that! I just took a shower for crying out loud!"

Arf barked and jumped up a little to plant her paws on the blonde's shoulders, knocking her over.

"Mou, Arf!" Fate tried to push the dog away, turning her face to the side in an attempt to avoid Arf's licks, "Mom!" she shouted, "Arf's bullying me again!"

Fate heard footsteps climbing the stairs that grew louder and closer just after a few moments.

"My, my," the blonde looked up to see a tall long teal haired woman with laughing teal eyes, "and here I thought you knew how to handle the K-9 species."

Fate pouted, "It's mutiny, and-"

"Probably payback for not giving her her promised treat the other day?" Lindy giggled, swooping down to grab Arf. Arf barked and let Lindy drag her off of her blonde owner, allowing her to sit up.

Frowning at the red dog Fate stood up saying, "That was an accident! And I promised that I would make it up to you, but now I'm not sure if I will."

Arf barked and tackled the blonde again. Fate squeaked when she hit the ground, "Arf," she groaned in pain then shouted, "Alright, alright, alright!" when Arf started licking her again.

Using all her strength, Fate managed to push the heavy dog off of her. Taking in a deep breath, she sat up and gave Arf an annoyed look, "I'll get you that bag of treats on our way back today, alright?"

Arf barked, her bushy tail wagging as her tongue lolled out.

Lindy giggled, watching the two then said, "Well, it looks like you've gotten everything worked out," looking at the watch on her delicate wrist, Lindy's smile grew, "But, it looks like you better get a move on, or you'll be late picking up your first client."

Fate's eyes widened, and the blonde scrambled off the floor and ran to her room in a panic. Lindy laughed at the sounds of chaos that emanated from her daughter's room. Looking down, Lindy smiled and asked, "Well, now little Miss Arf, would you like to join me for breakfast?"

With a bark, Arf, followed the teal haired woman downstairs. Once in the small, simple kitchen, Lindy placed two peaces of bread in the toaster before putting down a plate of ham on the floor by a small wooden table for Arf to eat. When the toast popped up, she buttered them and put them on a plate on the edge of the table. Sitting in the chair next to Arf, who was almost done scarfing down her meal, Lindy smiled in her cup of tea when she heard the cacaphonic sounds of her daughter rushing downstairs. It wasn't long before a head of blonde hair heralded her frantic daughter's appearance as she ran up to Lindy and kissed her on the cheek.

"Thanks Mom, love you! I gotta go," she exclaimed, running around the table with Arf following at her heels. She grabbed the toast, instantly biting into one before she ran to the front door, grabbing a long blue leash.

"See you later!" Fate shouted before running out the door.

Still seated at the table, Lindy smiled. The teal haired woman giggled with a shake of her head before she said with a sigh, "What am I going to do with that girl?"

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Nanoha cringed and sighed at the sound of her mother's stern voice, _'Ouch, that dog's in for it now,'_ she turned and saw how straight it was sitting, trembling as he stared at Momoko's towering form with his ears back. As if sensing her eyes on him, the dog turned pleading chocolate eyes on her and she froze, gulping at the intensity of it's desperate gaze.

_'I-I'm so sorry, but you're on your own,'_ she thought, clutched her eyes shut to avoid it's powerful gaze, and brought one hand up with a small bow before she turned and tried to tiptoe away quietly. She heard the dog whimper and cringed again when her mother said, "Don't you whine at me mister," then continued her stern lecture.

Just when she was out of the danger zone, Nanoha let out a deep breath she didn't know she was holding, then jumped when she heard the doorbell ring. Sighing, Nanoha turned around and went to answer the door, shouting, "I'll get it!" on her way. She tried to ignore the dog's eyes on her back as she walked past him and her mother on her way to the door, then straightened out her shirt before opening the door to reveal a beautiful blonde with a tall red dog beside her. Nanoha felt her breath catch at the sight of the long, golden haired beauty standing before her with gentle burgandy eyes and a warm smile on her fair face. For some reason she couldn't place her finger on, she felt like she saw this girl somewhere before.

"Hello. Is this the Takamachi residence?"

Nanoha blinked at the sound of the soft, melodic voice and quickly shook her head, answering, "Um, yes, you have the right place."

"Oh, good," the blonde let out a relieved breath, smiled, and held out her hand, "My name is Fate T. Harlaown, and I'm here to pick up your dog, ''"

Nanoha felt her cheeks warm up as she took the blonde's soft hand in her own and shook it. She didn't know why, but she suddenly felt very self-concious in her sweat pants and T-shirt in front of the beautiful blonde and began to squirm a little.

"It's nice to meet you, Fate, I'm Nanoha Takamachi and-"

Suddenly, she felt something ram into the back of her legs, sending her falling to the ground on her butt with a thud. Wincing with a whine, Nanoha, rubbed her sore behind and looked to see the little Takamachi Terror hiding behind a bewildered Fate's legs, shaking. She watched curiously, as he looked up at the blonde with his large eyes, for a few moments before the blonde flinched and nodded her head in some sort of understanding. Nanoha blinked, watching as the Takamachi Terror relaxed and leaned into the back of Fate's jean clad legs as the blonde leant down and patted him on the head.

"Hato Takamachi!"

Nanoha flinched, and watched as Fate, the red dog, and her own dog stiffen before suddenly standing up straight as statues. Nanoha blinked and turned her head to look over her shoulder to see her mother stalk towards them. Squeaking, she jumped off the floor and stood to the side of the door as her mother approached with a stern frown and eyes trained on Hato who inched his way closer to Fate.

"You must be Fate T. Harlaown, correct?" Momoko asked, turning her attention to the blonde before her.

"Y-Yes Mam'!" she answered while the dogs barked with her. Her arms were straight and held closely to the sides of her body, and Nanoha couldn't help but giggle at how funny she looked sandwiched in between the two dogs, all three of them at attention under her mother's intimidating presence.

"Good," her mother smiled brightly, catching the blonde off guard when she held her hand out, "It's nice to meet you. I'm Momoko Takamachi, and I see that you've already met my daughter Nanoha, and your future charge, the Takamachi Terror."

Fate took Momoko's hand in her quivering one and shook it, stuttering, "Y-Yes Mam, and I-It's nice t-to meet you too."

"Awww!" Momoko clapped her hands, "Aren't you adorable?" she cooed, causing Fate to flush red.

"T-Thank you?" she scratched her cheek, not knowing what to say. Nanoha tried to contain her laughter quite unsuccessfully, and quickly hid her amused smile behind her hand when the blonde looked her way with a small pout.

_'She's so adorable!'_ Nanoha squealed in her head as her mother caught Fate's attention again.

"Anyway," Momoko said and pulled out a chain link leash with a leather handle, "Here's his leash."

Fate took it with a small 'Thank you' and leaned over to hook it onto Hato's collar while the older woman continued speaking, "I am hoping that you could have him back by around 5:00 this evening?"

Fate nodded with a smile, patting the little Takamachi Terror on the head before looking up to Momoko saying, "Yes, that sounds fine." She then fished into her pocket and handed the older woman a slip of paper saying, "Here's my cell phone number in case you need to reach me."

Momoko smiled, took the slip of paper, and said, "Please wait here for a moment," before she turned and went into the living room.

Nanoha watched Fate visibly relax with a sigh, the two dogs beside her doing the same and giggled as Hato nudged the blonde's leg, earning a scratch behind the ears. "Wow, I can't believe how fast he warmed up to you. He's usually very shy around other people. You must be very good with dogs," she said, causing the blonde to jump again before glancing at her with cute little blush dusting her cheeks.

"Um," Fate stood up and scratched her cheek, a small smile gracing her lips, "I guess so."

Nanoha smiled, then looked at the large red dog on Fate's right side, "Is that dog yours?" she asked as she crouched down in front of it with her hand held out for the large dog to smell.

Fate blinked then watched as the dog licked Nanoha's hand and allowed her to pet her, "Yeah, her name's Arf."

Nanoha watched as Fate knelt down and ran an hand through the dog's soft fur with a tender smile and loving burgandy eyes, her breath catching slightly at the sight.

"That's a funny name," she giggled and caught another blush on Fate's cheek, "How long have you had her?" Nanoha asked, looking down at Arf who's eyes were closed and tail was wagging in pleasure. She giggled when Hato trotted over to her and nudged her shoulder, looking for attention.

"I've had her ever since I was a little kid," Fate's eyes became glazed and Nanoha wondered what she was thinking about, "She's my best friend."

Nanoha smiled softly, and the two sat there in a comfortable silence until they heard the sound of footsteps head their way. Standing up, Nanoha moved back beside the doorway as her mother appeared holding a small piece of paper.

"Here you go Fate," Momoko smiled, handing her the sheet, "this has all family cell phone numbers, the house number, and the cafe's number in case you need to get in touch with someone."

Fate nodded and took the paper with a smile, folding it and placing it in her pocket, "Thank you. I promise to take good care of him," she patted our dog's caramel fur.

"I'm holding you to it. Now take care, and I'll see you at 5:00."

"Yes Mam, good bye," and with a small bow and wave, Fate was on her way with Arf and Hato.

"Bye Fate-chan!" Nanoha shouted and waved at her with a bright smile. The auburn haired teen giggled when Fate turned back and waved with a small smile and blush. When the blonde and her doggy companions were out of sight, Nanoha closed the door and leaned against it with a smile.

'_I can't wait to see her again. I hope we can be friends.'_

"I see you've already taken a liking to our dog walker," Momoko's voice startled Nanoha, the brunette jumping before looking up at her mother with a pout.

"Mou, mom!" she whined, "Don't scare me like that!"

Momoko laughed and walked back into the living room saying, "Anyway, go get ready so we can go help your father at the cafe. It's almost time for the lunch rush hour and Kyouya has to leave to do something for school. So we better hurry."

"Yes Mam," Nanoha sighed and took off to her room to get ready for a long and tiring day.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

Nanoha walked into her room in a pair of simple shorts and shirt, drying her damp hair with a sigh. Closing the door, she walked to her bed, dropping the towel on the way, and fell back, bouncing on her mattress.

"Ah, what a long day," she said, stretching her arms above her head, then giggled picturing a certain blonde, "It was nice to meet Fate though," then pouted, "Too bad I couldn't see her when she brought Hato home. Mou, well at least I'll be able to see her tomorrow."

Nanoha smiled and rolled onto her side, jumping when her cell phone went off. Sighing, she turned onto her back and grabbed the device, opening it and saying into the reciever, "Hello?"

"_Hey Nanoha~! It's Hayate!_"

"Oh, hey Hayate. What's up?"

_"Just seeing how lil Hato is doing under the harsh rule of the Takamachi Matriarch.~."_

The brunette rolled her eyes at her friend's comment, wondering if she had a death wish or something before saying, "Hato is doing just fine. He's as hyper as ever. Today, Mom had to call someone to look after him since the cafe's been having a ton of buisness lately."

_"So that means that you finally met our local dog walker, eh?"_ she could practically feel Hayate grinning.

Nanoha smiled, an image of the blonde flashing in her mind as she hugged her pillow closer to herself with a giggle.

_"Well, well," _Hayate snickered, _"Normally I would ask what you think, but in this case, I don't think I have to because it looks like someone has a crush at first site~!"_

Nanoha's cheeks immediately grew warm at Hayate's light teasing, "H-Hayate!" she shouted, rolling onto her stomach with a pout, "That's not it at all!"

_ "But you do agree that she's absolutely adorable, right?"_

Nanoha nodded and answered without a second thought, "Of course."

Hayate snickered again, causing the brunette to freeze and stutter incoherently, "I-I. It isn't l-like that!"

Hayate giggled, _"I didn't say a thing, Na-no-ha!"_

Nanoha huffed, puffing out her cheeks, "You don't have to say anything, for me to know what you're thinking, and it isn't like that!"

Hayate laughed, _"Fine, fine, whatever you say. Anyway, tomorrow me and the gals are hanging out at that new cafe over by the park. Are you free to go? Oh, and Yuuno's going to be there too, he finally managed to tear himself away from the library."_

Nanoha nodded with a hum, "Really? I thought he was going to be stuck there all summer."

_"That's what I thought too, but apparently since he's been the little hard worker that he is, they're giving him a few days off. So are you in or out?"_

"I'm in. So what time are you guys meeting?"

_"We'll be meeting at the cafe' at around 10:30. We're hoping that there'll be a slight chance at beating the rush cuz it'd be a pain if we had to wait too long."_

"Alright," Nanoha said with a nod, "I'll meet you guys there. Hopefully the cafe' won't be too busy and mom'll let me off the hook," she then whispered, "She can be a real slave driver, you know?"

Nanoha heard Hayate's laughter, _"I have no doubt,"_ ther brunette said, _"Now I gotta go, my beauty sleep calls me and I must heed it if I wish to wake up before noon!"_

Nanoha shook her head, giggling at her friend's antics, "Then I better let you go. Who knows, if I keep you on for too long, you might not wake up till the day after tomorrow."

_"Mou, I wouldn't say that I'm _that_ lazy really. It's more like when I wake up early, I blink and it's already past noon. Time flies by way too quickly, ya know? Especially during the summer."_

Nanoha hummed though she shook her head, "Right, well I'll see you tomorrow, and tell the others I say hi, alright?"

_"Alrighty~! Hey guys, Nanoha says hi!"_ Nanoha flinched away from her phone when she heard Hayate's sudden shout, and waited a moment before placing it against her ear again.

_"They say hi,"_ she heard her friend say, _"and I'll see ya bright and early tomorrow! If you're late, you are totally treating us."_

"Ugh," Nanoha squinched her nose, "No way! I don't have that kind of money."

She heard Hayate's laugh, _"It sounds to me that you're already planning on being late. Anywho, you better think of something quick then cuz I'm not letting you off the hook this time~. Bye!"_

Nanoha grunted and shut her phone. She tossed the small pink device onto her bedside table and rolled onto her back, placing an arm over her eyes. She figured tomorrow was going to be a long day when it came down to dealing with Hayate.

_'But,'_ she blushed, a small smile spreading across her face, _'I can't wait to see Fate-chan agian.'_

Giggling, the brunette pulled the covers over herself, turned on her side, and drifted off to sleep.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**End Chapter 2**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Thank you to: Shlabadak, megamar, Aka Chibi-chan, pochako, Nightraze, Honulicious, and Revengest!**

**I really appreciate your reviews and I am glad you guys like it so far! Thank you!**


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: I do not own Magical Girl Lyrical Nanoha.**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Dog Walker**

**Chapter 3**

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x **

Nanoha awoke with a start. She grabbed her cellphone from her table and flipped it open. Her eyes widened at the blinking time, and an alarmed gasp escaped her lips as she quickly flung off the covers and rolled out of bed. Running into her closet, Nanoha grabbed some clothes and dashed to the bathroom.

It was in no time that the brunette finished getting ready and was running down the stairs shouting, "Bye mom! I gotta go or I'll be late meeting my friends!"

She was at the front door with her hand on the door knob when her mom stopped her saying, "Not so fast, Nanoha!"

The brunette groaned, and dropped her hand. she turned to see her mother appear with an excited Hato at her heels.

"You're father just called and said that they needed a little help at the cafe'."

Nanoha tried to hold back a frustrated groan as she shuffled from one foot to the other. She could only imagine what the others would say when she would cancel on them, and almost cringed at the thought of what Hayate or Arisa would have her do to make up for it...especially Hayate.

Momoko smiled and shook her head at her daughter, "Listen," she said softly, "I'm going to let you go off with your friends," she watched Nanoha relax and sigh in relief, "However, I need you to watch over Hato until Ms. Harlaown picks him up, alright?"

Nanoha beamed at the mention of Fate and nodded with a hum, "Sure thing!"

"Good then, I'm counting on you," her mom said, putting on her shoes and grabbing her purse, "Do you need any money for lunch or anything, or will you be alright?"

Nanoha shook her head, "Thanks, but I'll be fine. Now go," she said gently shooing her mother to the door, "Don't want to keep the others waiting and fending off the crowd by themselves, right?"

Her mother smiled, "No I don't. Goodness knows how helpless your father can be in situations like those," hugging Nanoha, Momoko said, "Now you know the rules, if anything happens or comes up, call me. And don't think for a second that you're allowed to throw a wild party while we're gone. If you do, make sure that Hayate is kept in check and does nothing illegal," she joked with a wink.

Nanoha giggled and shook her head, "Don't worry mom, I'll make sure everything's taken care of. Besides if a wild party's going to be thrown anywhere, it'll probably be at Hayate's house."

Momoko shook her head, "I wouldn't doubt that," she smiled, "Now I will see you later, bye!"

"Bye!" Nanoha waved her mother off with a smile. Turning from the door, she heard the swift patter of tiny footsteps running across the floor and shook her head with a soft sigh and small smile. Walking into the living room, she found Hato running around their small table. Stopping, the small dog looked up at her, tongue lolling out, before he trotted up to her.

Nanoha knelt down and patted his head, saying, "That's right, our mom just left, so you can relax now," she giggled, "But I do wish you would behave more and remember to stop chewing on the furniture... and using the restroom in here," she said, squinching her nose, "Mmm, maybe Fate can help with that," she smiled brightly at the thought of the blonde.

Hato barked, tail wagging fast and leaning into Nanoha's touch as she scratched behind his ear.

"I bet you have no idea what I'm saying, do you?" she laughed, and the dog barked again before doorbell rang.

Nanoha perked up and looked to the door, smiling brightly before she turned to Hato and said, "I bet that's Fate! Let's go!"

Standing up, the brunette bounced to the door, opening it up and smiling wider at the sight that greeted her: a gentle blonde with her large canine companion.

"Good morning Fate!" she greeted as Hato came running to the door, his tail wagging in excitement as he started to jump at the blonde.

Smiling, Fate rubbed Hato's head before she she said, "Good morning, Ms-"

Nanoha frowned and placed her hands on her hips with a huff. Her eyebrow raising as she looked at the blonde expectantly.

Blushing, Fate blinked under the shorter girl's intense stare, and tried to figure out what she wanted her to do when a sudden idea hit her. Stammering, the blonde said, "Ah- s-sorry! I mean, good morning Nanoha," her blush darkened when the brunette giggled and flashed her a warm smile of approval. The blonde felt her body relax at that.

"Good morning Fate. I know I wasn't able to tell you this the other day, but please, always remember to call me by my name. I don't like being called Ms. Takamachi," she squinched her nose a little, "It makes me feel old...that and it makes me think that you're talking to my mom."

Fate scratched the back of her head with a soft, nervous laugh, her gaze shy as she said, "Sorry about that and any mistakes I make in the future. It's gonna take me a bit to get used to this."

Nanoha nodded then said, "Mn, I understand. Now wait here, I kind of forgot to get Hato's leash, sorry," she smiled sheepishly and stuck her tongue out, causing the blonde to giggle. Fate nodded and Nanoha jogged off, going into the living room and grabbing the red leash from off the table.

"Sorry about this," Nanoha said when she returned, smiling at the blonde who was crouching in front of Hato, scratching his head.

"It's no problem," Fate said with a gentle smile. She stood up and wiped her hands on her pants before grabbing Hato's leash.

Nanoha smiled and giggled at the blonde's light blush, '_So cute!_' she thought as Fate hooked Hato to his leash. When Fate stood up again, a thought hit the brunette.

"Ah, Fate?" she started, shifting on her feet nervously as Fate tilted her head, "Would you like to come eat lunch with my friends and I?"

Fate blinked in surprise, but then smiled appologetically, "I'm sorry," she said, causing Nanoha to frown, "I-It's not that I don't want to! Really!" Fate panicked, trying to reassure Nanoha, " I would love to eat with you! It's just that I can't today because I have work, and I wouldn't be allowed to bring a pack of dogs into a restaraunt or anything, you know?"

"What if we ate outside?" Nanoha asked persistantly with a childish pout.

Fate smiled softly and shook her head, "I'm sorry, Nanoha. It really wouldn't be a good idea," Nanoha visibly deflated by the rejection and the blonde flinched. Unsettled by the brunette's sadness Fate tried to think of some way to get a smile on the girl's face. Feeling a nudge, the blonde looked down to see Arf and Hato staring at her before looking to Nanoha and then back at her again before they both whined. Smiling, she nodded, looked at Nanoha, and cleared her throat.

"Ah," Nanoha looked up at Fate who scratched her cheek, "Um, w-would it," Fate averted her eyes and blushed lightly. Curious, Nanoha tilted her head and waited patiently. "Well, what I mean to ask is, um...Would you like to have lunch with me sometime later this week? Like this weekend or something if you're free?"

Nanoha blinked, her mind proccessing the words as Fate shifted uncomfortably under her bright gaze before she beamed and flung her arms around the blonde in a tight hug. Fate squeaked, stumbling back in surprise at the sudden assault before she steadied them, almost dropping the dogs' leashes in the process.

"Yes! I'd love to!" Nanoha bounced excitedly while the dogs barked happily, tails wagging in approval with Hato jumping at the two. She squeezed the blonde before she stepped back, smiling from ear to ear.

"Ah, great," Fate perked up with a smile, blushing lightly, "Well, I guess that I'll call you later so we can talk about this more?"

Nanoha nodded, hummed, and rocked on the balls of her heels as she clasped her hands behind her back, "I'd really like that. Talk to you later?"

Fate nodded with a wide smile as she backed out the house with the dogs in tow, "Yeah, I'll talk to you later Nanoha. Have a great day!"

"You too!" Nanoha waved at the blonde, watching as the three jogged out of sight. Closing the door, Nanoha squealed and jumped up and down, not able to contain her excitement.

"Yes!" she shouted and punched the air before freezing when she felt something buzz in her pocket. Quickly digging into her pocket, Nanoha pulled out her phone and fumbled with it for a moment before she lifted the top and paled at the name blinking on the screen.

_Hayate._

"Oh snap," she said, before she closed her phone, shoved it in her jean shorts pocket, and bolting out the house before cussing lightly under her breath as she ran back and locked the door. She didn't want to face her mother's wrath on top of Hayate's all in the same day.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x **

Nanoha jogged up to the outside of a small cafe' with a handful of tables situated outside of it. At one of the simple white round tables with a tall, open red and white umbrella in the middle of it sat her five friends. With a nervous smile and chuckle, Nanoha waved at them when they saw her, and jogged over to them. Even though Hayate's call brought her crashing down to Earth, Nanoha still felt as though she were on cloud nine after talking with Fate. She couldn't help it! After all, the blonde pretty much asked her out on a date! Well, in her opinion at least...

"I can explain," Nanoha said as she pulled the chair out between Yuuno and Hayate and plopped down in it.

"Oh I'm sure the reason you ran late was because of a certain cute blonde with red eyes," Hayate smirked, eyebrows waggling.

Nanoha flushed and puffed out her cheeks in a pout, "Mou..."

All eyes turned to her in interest, and Arisa with her eyebrow raised asked, "So I'm assuming that you've met Harlaown then?"

Nanoha's blushed darkened and her eyes softened when she thought of the kind blonde. She scratched at her cheek in light embarassment and said, "Yeah. With how busy the cafe's been the past couple of days, we've had to call her since we didn't want to leave Hato alone. He isn't exactly the most well behaved dog yet, you know?"

Arisa nodded, "Yeah. So you guys are going to hire her till Hato is better trained, right?"

Nanoha's smile brightened a bit, and she nodded, "It'll probably be a while, but yeah. Until we can trust Hato in the house while we're away, Fate's going to look after him when we need her to."

Hayate's grin was sly when she leaned closer to the brunette to whisper, "Of course, not that you want him to so you can continue seeing a certain blonde dog walker.~"

Nanoha frowned at her friend, "Mou, that's not it at all," she said, though a light red warmed her cheeks, "Will you stop picking on me?"

Hayate giggled, patting her friend on the back, "Not a chance," she said breezily before looking at the others with a grin and a mischievous glint in her eyes, "Anyway, Now that Fate has shown up, I'm sure Nanoha here will soon be showing off her 'befriending' techniques."

Arisa snorted, "Don't you mean abusive tendencies?" she turned to Hayate with an arched eyebrow.

Hayate laughed, waving her hand dismissively, "Same thing," she said casually.

Nanoha scowled at her two friends, "I am not abusive!"

Arisa gave her a deadpan look saying bluntly, "You slapped me when we were in elementary school, and during our little tussle, we both kind of pushed Suzuka. Now here we are, good friends sipping some tea," the blonde raised her cup with an extended pinky and took a sip.

Hayate giggled at that then turned to Nanoha saying, "Yeah, and when we were about ten, you smacked both me and Vita," rubbing her cheek absentmindedly she said, "I really thought my face was going to be bruised for the rest of my life."

Arisa looked at her saying, "You too?" Hayate nodded and the blonde sighed with a smirk, "I'm glad I'm not the only one; she's got like some kind of iron hand or something."

"Mou!" Nanoha whined, with a pout. She crossed her arms and glared at her two friends, "Stop making fun of me!"

Hayate snickered and dared to ask, "Are you going to 'Starlight Breaker' me if I don't?"

Nanoha stiffened, her face draining of color as she gave Hayate an incredulous look, and slumped far down in her seat, "Sh-Shoosh! I was nine years old! Besides, you promised you would never bring that up again!"

Her friends laughed, and Arisa turned to the shorter brunette asking, "So what's this 'Starlight Breaker' you're talking about?"

Hayate could only grin, her eyes flashing with a sly light as she told her tale despite Nanoha's protests and near threats of bodily harm, "During the summer after Nanoha 'befriended' me and Vita, my family and her family had a get together at the Takamachi's home. It was nighttime, and Vita and I were playing with some sparklers when this bright pink light fell over us. We turned around to see where it was coming from, and saw Nanoha standing there in some sort of magical girl outfit grinning and holding onto a hose with a flashlight duck-taped around it. I can honestly say that a sense of doom washed over us, and we couldn't say a thing before she shouted 'Starlight Breaker!' and blasted us. We practically drowned, and I could promise that I saw my life flash before my eyes."

The group laughed hard, and Nanoha sunk down further in her seat, her cheeks lit crimson as she tried to dissappear.

"And that's not the end of it, either," Hayate's grin widened.

"Hayate!" Nanoha shouted, sending a pleading look to her friend, who ignored it.

"Seriously?" Arisa asked as she wiped away the tears that gathered in eyes, "What else did she do?"

"Oh nothing much, she just ran around like a hyper, trigger-happy kid 'Starlight Breakering' everyone at the party. It was a mass hosing, you know? But thankfully, Shiro managed to stop her 'befriending' spree, and by the time Momoko got done with her, she was pale as a sheet and shaking like a leaf. It was almost like she saw a ghost or something," Hayate laughed in rememberance.

"You've never faced the my mother's wrath before," Nanoha muttered with a shudder, still refusing to look at them, "and trust me you never want to."

Hayate grinned at her friend and said, "I know. Signum warned me once about getting on Momoko's badside. Till this day, I've never seen her turn as pale as she did after your mom 'talked' to her after she accidently broke her vase. Not even when Shamal threatened her with the couch for a week that one time."

"Right," Arisa said, squinching her nose a little at the last sentence, "Now what did you mean by 'befriending spree'?" she asked Hayate, who went into an elaborate and animated explanation of how for Nanoha, 'Starlight Breaker' equaled befriending.

Nanoha shrunk further into, chest puffed out as she huffed, crossed her arms, and turned in her chair in a poor attempt to ignore her friend's laughter. Pouting, the brunette muttered to herself something about it being the magical girl show's fault when a flash of blonde hair in the distance caught her eye along with a small pack of dogs. Perking up, Nanoha sat up and turned all the way around in her chair to see a familiar blonde haired, ruby eyed girl and smiled brightly.

"Fate!" she shouted and waved, startling her friends. Nanoha's smile widened when she saw the blonde turn her way, and giggled. She promised that she could see the tell tale signs of a blush on the girl's cheeks if she squinted.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x **

Fate smiled, jogging alongside the handful of dogs she had today. She considered it her lucky day to only have to look after three dogs, excluding Arf. Fate really enjoyed days like this, and considered it a good break from her usual herd of K-9 companions. Looking down at the dogs in her care, her eyes wandered to the recent addition to her 'pack', as Lindy liked to call it, and couldn't stop the image of bright blue eyes and a warm smile that flashed through her mind . A small blush warmed her cheeks, and she shook her head to get the brunette's image out of her mind. She didn't know why, but ever since they met, she couldn't stop thinking about her.

Fate was curious about Nanoha, and really, even though she doesn't want to admit it, would like to know more about the brunette, and maybe even become her friend. It was insane to Fate since she _just met _the girl. Blushing, the blonde dog walker shook her head, and continued on her way to the park. She needed to conecentrate on her job at hand. There would be time later for her to wonder about Nanoha later... and the sudden weird feelings she felt around her.

Finally seeing the archway to her destination, Fate smiled and looked at her small pac saying, "We're almost there guys."

The group let out a chorus of happy barks and wagging tails, and begun to move faster, pulling the blonde with them. Squeaking, Fate tugged lightly on their leashes, and laughed softly, feeling almost as excited as them when she suddenly heard her name being called.

Freezing at the familiar voice, Fate blinked, confused, and looked around, ignoring the dog's whines and pulls to urge her forward when she heard her name being called again, causing Hato to perk up and bark happily. Fate watched as he looked across the street, tail wagging, and followed his line of sight to see the girl she had just been thinking about at a table with a small group of people, smiling brightly and waving at her, gesturing for her to join them. Smiling softly, appologetically, Fate waved back shyly, a blush staining her cheeks, before she quickly turned away and continued her way into the park feeling oddly lighter.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x **

Nanoha beamed when she saw Fate's wave, but then frowned when the blonde turned and jogged into the park with her pack.

"Where's she going?" Nanoha pouted, deflating a bit. She turned in her chair, slunked down, and crossed her arms over her chest, "Why didn't she come over here?"

Hayate grinned at her childish friend with a snicker before saying, "Well she does have to work you know. Besides you'll be able to see her later, and if you'll come over by my house, we should be able to get her to stay over for a while. She usually drops off Zafira last."

"Really?" Nanoha asked, perking up at the part of getting a chance to spend more time with Fate than the usual casual buisness meeting.

"Yep!" the brunette said with a decisive nod, "And you know what? Why don't we have a sleepover at my place tonight? It's been a while since we've had one!"

Suzuka hummed in agreement, "That sounds like a wonderful idea. Will Signum or Shamal mind though?"

Hayate gave a dismissive wave of her hand, "It's no problem at all. I know Shamal will be excited at having company over, especially you guys. And Signum is good with whatever Shamal is fine with, so there's no problem there."

"Then I don't see why not," Arisa said, leaning back in her chair, "I just need stop back home to get my stuff together before we go to your house."

Suzuka nodded in agreement, "Same here."

"You already know I'm in. I just need to let my mom know," Nanoha smiled then turned to the only guy in there group, "What about you, Yuuno?" Nanoha asked with a tilt of her head.

"Sorry," Yuuno scratched the back of his head with a small smile, "I won't be able to join you guys, I have to prepare something for the library tomorrow, but I'm sure I'll be able to the next time I get a break."

The others frowned slightly, but nodded in understanding.

"Well if that's the case, let's go see a movie!" Hayate excalaimed with a grin, "Since you can't sleep over, we'll just make you sit through that new chick flick I saw advertising recently."

Yuuno groaned, but a pointed glare from Hayate that screamed, 'There-will-be-cosplay-consequences-if-you-don't,' shut him up.

"Alright, alright," he smiled with a chuckle, his hands up in forfeit, "That sounds...nice."

Hayate grinned, "Good, cuz you're treating!"

Yuuno gaped at her and opened his mouth to protest when the brunette's pointed glare returned, effectively shutting his mouth with a click. He learned by then, after many years of knowing the crazy brunette, that it was better to just go along with her than go against her. He just wished that it wasn't at the expense of his wallet.

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x **

Nanoha stood in the Yagamine's empty kitchen while her friends argued over the movie they just saw in the living room. She had her cell phone against her ear, and hummed while she waited for her family to pick up the phone.

_ "Hello, Midoriya Cafe, Momoko speaking, how may I help you?" _

Nanoha smiled at her mother's cheerful voice, "Hey mom, it's me. I'm going to stay over at Hayate's tonight, she's going to be throwing a wild party at her house."

_"Really? And I'm not invited?" _her mom teased before saying, _"You can sleepover, but don't be too surprised if we have to call you over to help out at the cafe. Your sister has a meeting with her university advisor tomorrow and after that she made plans to hang out with some friends. So keep your phone on tomorrow."_

Nanoha pouted a little but said, "Yes mam."

_"Don't you pout, young lady. You should be greatful that I let you have today to yourself instead of forcing you to help at the cafe," _Momoko scolded lightly, causing Nanoha to flinch and wonder if her mother had the power to read minds.

"Nya ha ha," Nanoha laughed nervously, pulling at the hair of her side ponytail, "Sorry mom, and thank you for letting me stay over, I love you."

_"You're very welcomed, and I love you too. Do you need anyone to bring over anything?"_

Nanoha shook her head with a small hum, "No, after the movie, we kind of went seperate ways to get our stuff before meeting back at Hayate's."

Momoko hummed, _"So you were already planning on me saying yes?"_

Nanoha laughed nervously, "Hayate is very persistant?"

_"Yes she is," _Momoko agreed before there was a pause and some sudden muffled shouting, causing Nanoha to blink, _"Sorry, about that," _her mother said after a few moments, _"but it looks like I have to go now because your father needs some help again. I love you, and have fun, alright? I'll see you tommorrow."_

Nanoha nodded, though her mom couldn't see it, and hummed, "Yes mam, and I love you too. Tell dad and the others I love them, and I'll see you all later. Thanks again, Mom."

_ "Not a problem, Honey, bye."_

"Bye."

Nanoha hung up her cell phone and put in her pocket as she jogged to the living room where the others were. Yuuno and Hayate sat side by side on the couch while Arisa and Suzuka shared the shorter love-seat beside it, the two furniture pieces forming an L-shape around a short, long black table in the middle of the room.

"It was way too mellodramatic and predictable," Yuuno said with a sigh, leaning into the back of the sofa, "I don't see why gir...um, people are so crazy about it."

"Don't you have a romantic bone in your body?" Hayate asked, gaping at him dramatically, slapping her palms to her cheeks, before "It was cute! And sooo sweet!" she cooed.

"It was cheesy," Yuuno countered, mumbling something unintelligable under his breath as he massaged his temples.

"You're just jealous of his mad skills at sweeping girls off of their feet," Hayate grinned, nudging the blonde boy in the side.

Yuuno rolled his eyes, "Not true at all, I can assure you," he drawled.

Arisa scoffed, crossing her arms and legs as she leaned into her seat, "Stop whining. You would think that you'd be used to cheesy plots like this after all of the books you've read."

Yuuno pushed his glasses up on his nose and said, "I wouldn't be used to that because I don't read many romance novels."

"Right," Arisa said, waving her hand dismissively "I forgot you read all of those _old _books about all of that _ancient _stuff."

Yuuno pouted, "Hey, don't diss it. All of that '_ancient stuff' _is really interesting if you give it a chance. There is much you can learn from ancient civilizations."

Arisa nodded, "I know. I'm just not that interested," she then looked at Nanoha with a raised brow and said, "And you. Are you going to join us or just stand there staring at us all day?"

Nanoha blushed lightly in embarassment and walked over to the sofa, plopping down on the other side of Yuuno, "Sorry," she said, "but I didn't want to interrupt you guys."

Arisa rolled her eyes, "You joining us would not have interrupted us, Nanoha."

"That's right!" Hayate added in leaning forward to see the taller brunette, "You gotta be more assertive! Especially if you want to catch the attention of a certain blonde," she waggled her eyes with a mischievous grin.

Nanoha flushed and sputtered while Yuuno turned to her, confused and curious at the same time. Not that the male would admit it, but somewhere deep inside he was hoping that they were refering to him even though it didn't seem too likely since another blonde recently entered Nanoha's life. A small frown graced Yuuno's lips; it looked like he might have competition in terms of getting Nanoha.

"Th-That's...It's not like that!" she stuttered in red-faced embarassment.

"Not like what?" Hayate asked in feux-innocence, grinning at her like a sly cat that was toying with its cornered prey.

Mind blank, Nanoha opened and closed her mouth several times, not knowing what to say before she whined, "Mou! Stop teasing me Hayate!" Slouching into the sofa, Nanoha crossed her arms and turned away from her friends' gazes with puffed cheeks muttering, "It's not like that...we just met. Is it such a big deal that I want to be her friend?"

Hayate giggled, grinning in triumph as she watched the pouting brunette. It was so much fun to get under her skin sometimes...when someone was there to block her from potential harm, and this was just too good to pass up. The mischievious brunette could easily see how Nanoha was struck by a case of 'like at first sight' with their local dog walker by what very little she's seen and heard.

'_Today, though,'_ she thought as she looked over to the clock hanging on the wall over the television, _'I get to see if it's the same with lil Fate-inu,'_ she grinned, looking forward to their inevitable meeting, _'I'll make sure of it.'_ A plan then began to form in her mind.

Yuuno glanced at Hayate and felt a shiver run down his spine. He had no idea what the girl was thinking, but was glad he wasn't going to be around to find out. Looking at the clcok, he noticed it was getting late and sighed, standing up, and gaining the other's attention.

"Sorry guys, but I have to get going. I need to finish reviewing some papers for my boss tomorrow," he said with an appologetic smile.

"You have to review papers?" Arisa asked, eyebrow raised, not really understanding, and not really believing him.

Yuuno nodded, "Yeah, he wanted me to look over his presentation and fix any errors before his meeting tomorrow."

"Well that's lazy," Arisa said, leaning into her seat.

Yuuno chuckled and shook his head, "No it isn't. He's very busy with other work so I volunteered to do it for him."

Hayate grinned, snickering, "You're just sucking up to him so you could get some brownie points for when you start your conquest to take over as head of the library."

Yuuno rolled his eyes at his friend's absurd theory, "You're crazy."

"Fine, fine, you party pooper," Hayate waved dismissively, "Go ahead and deny your plans of world library domination."

Yuuno couldn't help but sigh and shake his head at his friend's antics, "Whatever you say, Hayate," he said before waving to the others with a smile, "I'll see you guys later."

Nanoha stood up and gave him a hug, "It was nice to finally hang out with you," she said before stepping away and nudging him in the side with a smile, "you workaholic. Hopefully we'll be able to drag you out from under all those books so we can hang out again."

Yuuno chuckled and smiled at her, "Sometimes I think you spend too much time with Hayate."

Hayate pouted at Yuuno, "Are you saying that I'm a bad influence?"

Nanoha giggled and Yuuno just smiled, eyes shining in amusement as he adjusted his glasses.

"Well," he said, moving past Nanoha and waving at them one more time, "I'll be on my way, see you all later."

"Hey!" Hayate shouted, "You're avoiding my question Yuuno!" she said as she went after the boy who jogged out of her house. She leaned out the front door and shouted, fist raised and shaking, "You better run! I promise you that the next time I see you, you will be doing cosplay! You hear me! Cosplay!"

Nanoha and Arisa just stared in her direction while Suzuka giggled. Hayate closed the door with a huff then walked back to them. Smiling she said, "You guys are definitley helping me with that, just so you know."

Arisa smirked, "So long as it isn't me, I'm good with that."

Hayate nodded, a sly smile spreading across her lips, "So," she began, her eyes twinkling mischieviously, "What character should he be?"

Nanoha sighed and smiled slightly. Although she was glad that she wasn't in Yuuno's position, she did feel sorry for him. Who knew what Hayate would do to him next time she saw him...that is if he isn't successful in avoiding her for a while.

The four talked, bouncing ideas around and laughing for a few minutes when the doorbell rang.

"I'll get it!" Hayate's said as she stood up and jogged to the door, an excited grin on her face.

Nanoha was curious, but stayed and continued to chat with Arisa and Suzuka when she suddenly heard a "Hey Fate!" from the front door. Perking up, Nanoha abruptly halted the conversation, turned in her seat, and leaned back far against the sofa in an attempt to see what was going on at the front door. Not getting a good view, Nanoha frowned until she heard a "Good evening, Hayate," the familiar voice causing her to freeze for a moment. Wheels turning in her head for a moment, when she saw Zafira trotting into the living room, Nanoha finally came to a conclusion and jumped from her seat, startling her two friends as she ran to the front door.

Nanoha rounded the small corner and smiled brightly as her eyes locked with surprised ruby.

"Fate!"

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x **

Fate was on her way to her last stop, a small frown on her lips. She didn't know why, but she felt a little down since she didn't see Nanoha when she dropped Hato off. For some reason, she was really looking forward to seeing her again. Sighing with a slight whine that caused Arf and Zafira to look up at her, the blonde dog walker continued on her way to her last stop of the day, the Yagami home. A small smile tugged at her lips at that. The Yagamis were the first ones who hired her when she started this business, and since then, she had grown a little close to them and managed to befriend the cool and collected Signum.

Fate smiled at the thought of the pink haired woman. She was someone who she had really come to admire after spending some time talking with her. The pink haired woman even invited the blonde into her home in the evenings sometimes to spar after they found out that they both practiced kendo. The truth is, if Fate were to admit it, she really looked up to Signum as not just a role model, but as an older sister as well.

'_Maybe she can help me with these weird feelings,_' she mused as the Yagami home came into view.

Walking up to the front door, Fate rang the doorbell and waited, her body relaxing for a moment before the door swung open, startling her and her two k-9 companions.

"Hey Fate!" Hayate chirped, grinning from ear to ear.

Fate blinked, calming her racing heart and breathed deeply, "Good evening, Hayate," she said, and gave a shaky smile, "You scared me."

Fate knelt down and unhooked Zafira from his leash and ran her fingers through his thick, soft fur with a soft smile. Giving the blonde a lick on the cheek, Zafira turned and nudged Arf with his nose before trotting into the house.

"Sorry about that," Hayate said, and watched as the blonde stood up and brushed off her pants, her eyes twinkling in mischief.

Fate saw the look in her eyes and unconciously moved back, very wary of the sly brunette. She didn't know what the girl was thinking, but she had a feeling he wouldn't like it. Fate opened her mouth to say something when a movement behind shorter girl caught her attention. Looking past her, Fate's ruby eyes widened in surprise, her voice caught in her throat as she met the shining, warm sky blue eyes of the brunette who somehow managed to pop up in her thoughts a lot lately.

"Fate!"

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**Omake****:**

"You know," Hayate said, looking at her friends, "the only one here who hasn't been 'befriended' by Nanoha properly is Yuuno."

Said blonde shrunk under Arisa, Suzuka, and Hayate's heavy stares. Chuckling nervously, the blonde male scratched his cheek, "I guess I'm just lucky."

"Hmph," Arisa glared at the boy in thought for a moment then looked at Hayate, "Doesn't that make him an outsider?" she asked.

Hayate nodded firmly, crossing her arms over her chest, "Yes! Totally! Mayabe we should shun him!"

With that, the trio promptly turned their backs on Yuuno who gasped, "Wait, guys! That's not fair! It's not my fault Nanoha never harmed me to make me her friend!"

"Shun the non-'befriended~," Hayate sing-songed.

"Come on! Be reasonable," Yuuno said, "What about that new blonde, Fate? She wasn't harmed when Nanoha befriended her."

A sharp grin suddenly spread across Hayate's lips, "Oh, but Fate hasn't been officially befriended just yet," she chuckled.

"What does that mean?" Yuuno asked, almost pouting.

"Only time will tell.~"

**x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x-x**

**A/N****: **Ah, poor Yuuno...Oh well, sorry for the long wait, and I hope you guys enjoyed this. Sorry for the mistakes, and please let me know if there are any major ones. Thank you for reading and happy holidays!

**Special Thanks to****: **

**HowlingSilverWolf, priest1 drago, Musicmakesmehigh, megamar, Nameanon, Jay, Shlabadak, Nyaaaaaaah, Nightraze, Fate Testarossa 19, ChronoCrescentFlames, and Aka Chibi-chan!**

**Thank you very much for your reviews! They and you are very appreciated!**


End file.
